Overcoming Traumatic Events
The answer is two parts and is found in the last few verses of the chapter. Verses 26-30, “Help me, O LORD my God: O save me according to thy mercy: That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, LORD, hast done it. Let them curse, but bless thou: when they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice. Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle. I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.”
The first step that David took was to acknowledge that everything that happened to him, happened by the will of God.
Wait a minute!
I didn’t say God did it. What I did say is that the Scripture teaches us that God prohibits or allows ALL things that happen to us in life. The Biblical example of this is Job.
In Job 1:6-12 it says, “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence, comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.”
Here we find that Satan was not able to attack Job due to the hedge of thorns that God had placed around him and all that he had. Even when God allowed Satan access to Job, he was still limited in what he could do.
You may ask the same question that many have: Why would God allow the Devil access to me? Job’s friends had all sorts of reasons why, and none of them were right.
The conclusion of Job seems to be that God is God, and He does not have to answer to you nor me. We look at life in a finite manner; we do not see the whole picture. God sees not only where we are now, but also where we are going. He knows that there are things we will never learn without trauma.
